Gerald Spaeth received a ERC Synergy grant

[Communiqué]

Gerald Spaeth, head of the "Molecular Parasitology and Signalling" unit at the Institut Pasteur Paris, has been awarded a Synergy grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for the project "DECOLeishRN - Decoding epistatic genome/RNome interactions in ekaryotic fitness gain using Leishmania parasites as a unique model system". This project is funded at over 9 millions Euros and will be conducted in collaboration with two Israeli teams led by Shulamit Michaeli (Bar-Ilan University) and Yitzhak Pilpel (Weizmann Institute of Science).

Exploiting the unique biology of the protozoan parasite Leishmania as a model system, the project will generate unprecedented insight into the role of genome instability in eukaryotic adaptation by combining experimental evolution, analyses of the non-coding RNA, network modelling and cutting-edge, single cell sequencing. The project aims to uncover the molecular filter that can mitigate toxic effects of genome instability while promoting beneficial ones, thus resolving a long-standing question in infection and cancer biology.

The six-year project (2023-2029) is poised to reveal complex and dynamic interactions between genomic, epitranscriptomic and phenotypic adaptation of these important parasites, and the role of stress-adapted ribosomes and non-coding RNAs – especially anti-sense regulators – that compensate for detrimental gene dosage changes. The scientists will further examine whether the parasite has the capacity to predict and prepare in advance to changes in environmental conditions and the switch between its hosts. The study of pathogen evolution within a mammalian host will provide an innovative framework for the discovery of complex biomarker candidates linked to Leishmania virulence and drug resistance. Exploiting genome instability for adaptation is common to other diseases-causing microbes and cancer. This ERC Synergy grant will thus deliver a blueprint to study how chaotic genome instability is harnessed for adaptation and to escape unfavorable environmental conditions.

Monday, 15 May 2023

Emerging Leader Research Fellow - UK

Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Oxford Brookes University, UK The Oxford Brookes University offers an opportunity to develop an independent research group in molecular parasitology/protistology through a...

Wednesday, 05 April 2023

PostDoc l P. falciparum l Montpellier

PostDoc position : Gene regulation/ DNA low complexity regions-DNA binding proteins, Montpellier, France The post-doc project aims to investigate the role of Low Complexity Regions in regulation of gene expression in P....

Monday, 03 April 2023

Short Term Scientific Mission Grants

Short-Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) within the OneHealthdrugs (CA21111) network 1st CALL for applications 2023 The 1st STSM Call of the Action CA2111 OneHealthdrugs is launched. Short Term Scientific Mission...

Tuesday, 28 March 2023

PostDoc l Immunity T. gondii l Lille

PostDoc position : Cross-talk between stress response and infection in dendritic cells at Institut Pasteur Lille, France We seek to hire a highly motivated candidate to work on the role of the Unfolded Protein...

Friday, 27 January 2023

Nouvelles données sur l'invasion de Toxoplasma gondii

[Publication] Les derniers travaux de Rania Najm, Hiba El Hajj, Maryse Lebrun & leurs collègues sont publiés dans PNAS. Les auteurs apportent des connaissances importantes sur les acteurs moléculaires de l'invasion des bradyzoïtes et...

Tuesday, 03 January 2023

Happy Birthday 2023

LabEx ParaFrap wishes you happiness, health, science and success for 2023. First news from the network this year: the ParaFrap webinars will be back in 2023, as in previous years, every second Thursday of the month at 3pm. If you are not yet on the...

Friday, 16 December 2022

French Alliance for Parasitology and Health Care